What do you think?
Rate this book
Perfect
from USA Today bestselling author V. J. Chambers
When Sidney Reilly, twice divorced and mother of two, moves to Lassiter Cove, she’s hoping for a fresh start.
But the women of Lassiter Cove are too good to be true. They work high-powered jobs, spend quality time with their children, cook healthy and balanced meals from scratch, look ten years younger than their actual age, and are all incredibly thin.
Then she discovers their secret: the Regimen, an invitation-only program offered by the local gym and spa, which promises a complete transformation.
It all seems perfect. Until Sidney discovers the women who are disappearing from the spa. Until she tangles with the dark, brawny man at its center, who everyone seems to worship. Until her own daughter becomes a target.
Lassiter Cove isn't what it seems, and Sidney is heading for the fight of her life.
When Sidney Reilly, twice divorced and mother of two, moves to Lassiter Cove, she’s hoping for a fresh start.
But the women of Lassiter Cove are too good to be true. They work high-powered jobs, spend quality time with their children, cook healthy and balanced meals from scratch, look ten years younger than their actual age, and are all incredibly thin.
Then she discovers their secret: the Regimen, an invitation-only program offered by the local gym and spa, which promises a complete transformation.
It all seems perfect. Until Sidney discovers the women who are disappearing from the spa. Until she tangles with the dark, brawny man at its center, who everyone seems to worship. Until her own daughter becomes a target.
Lassiter Cove isn't what it seems, and Sidney is heading for the fight of her life.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 9, 2018
245 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
V.J. Chambers
104 books463 followersV. J. Chambers writes about being inexplicably attracted to the dangerously alluring. Her works span mundane settings and fantastic ones. She writes about serial killers, cult leaders, werewolves, witches, for-hire assassins, zombies, space pirates, and regular everyday people.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
She lives in Shepherdstown, WV, with her boyfriend Aaron and their cat Isis.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 19, 2019
2.5 stars. At times the plot was enjoyably wild and dark but I found this slowly paced for a book goodreads says is only 261 pages long. It felt like the story had a lot of filler. I liked Sidney as a protagonist but none of the other characters were interesting or well developed. The prose wasn’t glaringly bad but it wasn’t particularly artful either. It was serviceable. I think the bones of the story were strong, the execution was kind of meh.
April 18, 2019
I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from this book, but it certainly took me down a very different route than one anticipated. It is best described as a mix between The Stepford Wives (no leaps of association required here it is mentioned multiple times in the text), the Going Clear documentary and any Gothic horror movie you ever saw. Whatever the mix is, I found this to be a hugely entertaining novel by an author I had never read before and one that I will be purchasing more from based on this one novel.
Sidney is a great character, a nicely balanced and nuanced everywoman who just happens to write and self-publish paranormal romances. This is a lucrative business but since her second divorce, her eldest daughter moving away to college and moving to Lassiters Cove she now seems to be suffering from Writers Block. The friction with her ex-husband and the shared custody of her 6 year old daughter isn't helping matters so she decides to use the free massage voucher in her neighbourhood welcome pack. This is where we get to meet two of the other main players in this story - the Lotus Centre and Leo Giles.
From this jumping off point the author has left themselves plenty of scope to talk about body positivity, societal pressures to confirm, herd mentality and the wonder of a really good horror movie. The pacing is fast but deftly handled so it never feels rushed but you do move from event to event quite rapidly and there is more going on than the Stepford-esque perfection of The Regimen. There is even time for a little romance to be sprinkled here and there in to the mix.
My biggest problem was the unsatisfactory nature of the ending to the tale, not quite resolved but not left wide enough open to really return. There were also, to my mind, some timeline issues where the sequence of events appeared to get a bit jumbled up. Ultimately this didn't matter as this is a jolly good caper and was a quite inventive take on modern life through film references. There is also some decent humour sprinkled amongst the jump scares and the panic.
Wonderful story telling that completely drew me in and made this book disturbingly difficult to put down.
Sidney is a great character, a nicely balanced and nuanced everywoman who just happens to write and self-publish paranormal romances. This is a lucrative business but since her second divorce, her eldest daughter moving away to college and moving to Lassiters Cove she now seems to be suffering from Writers Block. The friction with her ex-husband and the shared custody of her 6 year old daughter isn't helping matters so she decides to use the free massage voucher in her neighbourhood welcome pack. This is where we get to meet two of the other main players in this story - the Lotus Centre and Leo Giles.
From this jumping off point the author has left themselves plenty of scope to talk about body positivity, societal pressures to confirm, herd mentality and the wonder of a really good horror movie. The pacing is fast but deftly handled so it never feels rushed but you do move from event to event quite rapidly and there is more going on than the Stepford-esque perfection of The Regimen. There is even time for a little romance to be sprinkled here and there in to the mix.
My biggest problem was the unsatisfactory nature of the ending to the tale, not quite resolved but not left wide enough open to really return. There were also, to my mind, some timeline issues where the sequence of events appeared to get a bit jumbled up. Ultimately this didn't matter as this is a jolly good caper and was a quite inventive take on modern life through film references. There is also some decent humour sprinkled amongst the jump scares and the panic.
Wonderful story telling that completely drew me in and made this book disturbingly difficult to put down.
February 21, 2019
This book was an utter disappointment. The story line seemed to be falling apart as it progressed and started to just go all over the place. The book title reads "Perfect: A psychological thriller ", and I don't see what was thrilling or psychological about it. The author put very little thought into developing the characters.
The first flaw for me was the protagonist. In books like these, where the protagonist is far from perfect in terms of appearance and has alot of emotional baggage because of her lack in self confidence, I expect to sympathise with the character. I want to like her. I want to feel what she feels. I want to be able to understand why she does what she does. BUT NONE OF THIS HAPPENS. I started hating the Sidney within 65% of the book. Her constant paranoia and inability to trust didn't have any base to stem from, it just felt like something the author had to do in order to make the story line seem interesting, which it also did not.
SPOILER ALERT
The plot was the biggest flaw, how can THE ENTIRE CITY be in on it. I'm sorry, that is just NOT feasible. Even if this is fiction, it's supposed to be enticing, not plain outright stupid. The only thread that kept me hooked was the hope that it would turn out to be a psychological thriller( which the name suggests) and talk about how she perceived everyone as perfect because of her deep seeded insecurity about her body. But it turns out, the entire city is crazy not just one person.
Please do not read this if you want a book with reason and logic.
The first flaw for me was the protagonist. In books like these, where the protagonist is far from perfect in terms of appearance and has alot of emotional baggage because of her lack in self confidence, I expect to sympathise with the character. I want to like her. I want to feel what she feels. I want to be able to understand why she does what she does. BUT NONE OF THIS HAPPENS. I started hating the Sidney within 65% of the book. Her constant paranoia and inability to trust didn't have any base to stem from, it just felt like something the author had to do in order to make the story line seem interesting, which it also did not.
SPOILER ALERT
The plot was the biggest flaw, how can THE ENTIRE CITY be in on it. I'm sorry, that is just NOT feasible. Even if this is fiction, it's supposed to be enticing, not plain outright stupid. The only thread that kept me hooked was the hope that it would turn out to be a psychological thriller( which the name suggests) and talk about how she perceived everyone as perfect because of her deep seeded insecurity about her body. But it turns out, the entire city is crazy not just one person.
Please do not read this if you want a book with reason and logic.
June 24, 2018
This was all over the place.
I got bored with absolutely nothing happening in this long, drawn out story, which was more like three or four plotlines all fighting for relevance in one book about halfway through. You would think with that many directions at least one of them would have improved. I kept at it because I thought there it had to get better. It didn't. I don't usually leave bad reviews. But I feel kind of cheated. I don't have a lot of time to read. And can't help but wonder why an author would let a scattered mess like this be published. Didn't she proofread?
I got bored with absolutely nothing happening in this long, drawn out story, which was more like three or four plotlines all fighting for relevance in one book about halfway through. You would think with that many directions at least one of them would have improved. I kept at it because I thought there it had to get better. It didn't. I don't usually leave bad reviews. But I feel kind of cheated. I don't have a lot of time to read. And can't help but wonder why an author would let a scattered mess like this be published. Didn't she proofread?
February 28, 2019
Good read 3-4 stars -5 star potential
This is the 2nd book I've read by this author and the only thing that keeps me from giving a 5 star review across the board are editing/proofreading errors. I'll admit I edit/proof every book I read, a little OCD things probably most wouldn't notice.
That being said the book was a quick read, interesting well-defined characters an great storyline.
I recommend to those who like domestic suspense.
This is the 2nd book I've read by this author and the only thing that keeps me from giving a 5 star review across the board are editing/proofreading errors. I'll admit I edit/proof every book I read, a little OCD things probably most wouldn't notice.
That being said the book was a quick read, interesting well-defined characters an great storyline.
I recommend to those who like domestic suspense.
August 17, 2019
This is the third book I have read by this author, all straight after each other. I really like this author; she has imaginative plots and an easy to read writing style. That being said she also inserts some unexpected twists and turns into each individual story. This one is another brilliant story and well worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 22, 2019
Gripping!
I loved this book. It was slightly different to my normal read....less bloodthirsty! But I was so glad I read it. The characters pulled me in from the beginning. You just knew something was not right but kept you guessing. Will look for other titles by this author. Well worth reading
I loved this book. It was slightly different to my normal read....less bloodthirsty! But I was so glad I read it. The characters pulled me in from the beginning. You just knew something was not right but kept you guessing. Will look for other titles by this author. Well worth reading
August 15, 2019
This story reminded me of the old Stepford Wives movie. Every female is perfect, does everything exactly right. Looks gorgeous, etc. etc. There were a few different twists in this story, but for me, it was pretty much a remake of an old movie. Not that it is bad, it is a good one. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Booksprout.
October 22, 2022
😲
Initially the synopsis really grabbed me but as I started to read it I just thought it was gonna be just another stepford wives tale ( the book does mention this several times).
The book is much more than this though and it really was surprisingly much better than I thought it was going to be after the first couple of chapters.
Initially the synopsis really grabbed me but as I started to read it I just thought it was gonna be just another stepford wives tale ( the book does mention this several times).
The book is much more than this though and it really was surprisingly much better than I thought it was going to be after the first couple of chapters.
August 7, 2018
Great beach read! Pretty quick read as well. Reminded me of a Lifetime movie/SyFy movie (though it wasn’t technically sci-fi), but in book form. And I love Lifetime ❤️😊. The main character did start to get on my nerves towards the end, but the book kept my interest right from the get go.
August 28, 2018
Great book, some misspellings and grammar issues.
Loved it. Great story. Could use another editing, which is irony in itself considering the main character self published. Would definitely recommend.
Loved it. Great story. Could use another editing, which is irony in itself considering the main character self published. Would definitely recommend.
June 21, 2018
Hooked
I read this book in 1 day...1day!!! I couldn't put it down! I like the authors style and in the morning I will be looking to for other books of hers to read.
I read this book in 1 day...1day!!! I couldn't put it down! I like the authors style and in the morning I will be looking to for other books of hers to read.
October 8, 2018
I enjoyed this book about strange happenings at a wellness spa and throughout a small town. A Stepford Wives-type vibe about the story. The ending took me by surprise and was pretty horrifying!
January 21, 2019
A page turner
Well, it kept me up reading into the wee hours of the night. I would certainly recommend this book. :)
Well, it kept me up reading into the wee hours of the night. I would certainly recommend this book. :)
February 26, 2019
Excellent read, found it hard to put down! First of VJ Chambers books I've read but have now downloaded a few more to my kindle. Looking forward to reading more
March 5, 2019
Easy read to get out of a slump
It was so easy to get into this, and kept reading more and more to find out witness at the bottom of it. Great elements of mystery and intimacy.
It was so easy to get into this, and kept reading more and more to find out witness at the bottom of it. Great elements of mystery and intimacy.
November 20, 2019
I totally loved the suspense and was right with the lead character as she was trying to get to the bottom of this bizarre community of perfect women.
August 16, 2019
An amazing thriller that has immediate, first pages fast-paced action and thrills! This story also has great characters and a thrilling storyline that keeps you motivated to keep reading to the end and then want more!!! So then I get the many other books by the author and I am so happy because she generally writes all of her books in this manner - awesomely!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews